


We Never Belonged Here

by Taylor1990



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Angst, Assisted Suicide, Death, Holy shit this is depressing, Other, The Institute - Freeform, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 16:34:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6618109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taylor1990/pseuds/Taylor1990
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything Nora had done had been for her son, she just wanted to save him; protect him. But his time was coming to an end and so was hers.</p>
<p>This wasn't how her life was supposed to go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Never Belonged Here

**Author's Note:**

> This outcome occurred to me the second I finished the main storyline when playing. It's not nice, there's no happy ending here people. Just a whole load of sadness.

“Shaun…” Nora stared down at the limp body of her son.

She knew he was ill, she knew it was only a matter of time before his illness finally took over. But older than her or not, he was still her son and she wanted to be here for him in his final moments.

“Are you in any pain?” She was shaking as she took the empty seat next to his bed and took hold of his hand.

“A little…” The weakness of his voice stabbed at her heart. the pained coughs that left him hurt her almost as much as they hurt him.

He squeezed her hand. She stifled a sob.

“Are you sure you won’t reconsider?” He asked.

“Allie will do a fine job.” She replied, shaking her head.

Nora never wanted to be Director, she wasn’t designed to be a leader; of anything. She was just a mother looking for her son. She had succeeded and failed all at the same time.

Months of searching, the endless research and she finally found him. The initial shock of his age wore off as soon as they hugged, it didn’t matter that he was older. That all her hopes and dreams for the man her son could be were too far gone, she was just happy to see him. And he had been happy to see her.

But once again, the world had thrown her another curveball, after everything she’d done, after all that time, she was going to lose him again to a disease that should have died out centuries ago.

Nora wished Nate had been alive to see him one last time, he would have been proud of him no matter what. Just like she was. Even if the Commonwealth had a warped view on what the Institute had been trying to accomplish, but they would learn to accept them in time. They really were the answer to the continuation of mankind.

“Do you ever wonder what it would have been like? If circumstances had been different, if there had been another family in the Vault? If we had never stepped foot inside?”

_Every day._

“We never belonged here. Did we?”

He sounded like a child, _her_ child. His brown eyes (a perfect match to his father) were hazy, whatever medication he was on seemed to be helping to numb the pain. To which she was grateful.

“No Shaun.” She replied with all the sadness in the world in her voice. She let silent tears fall over her face.

She meant it. Sure she could have lied, she could have eased the last few moments of his life but she had made a promise the day he was born to never lie to him. And on his deathbed or not, she wasn’t about to break that promise.

“I would like you to do something for me Mother.”

“Anything Shaun.” And she meant it.

“You have to promise me you’ll do this. _Before_ I tell you what is it I need from you.”

“Anything Shaun.” She repeated. “I promise.”

He couldn’t ask too much of her, not now; not ever. A mother was supposed to do anything she could for her child, if she had more time to be a parent perhaps she could have done more for him.

The life they could have had flashed before her eyes.

Helping him with his first steps...potty-training...Taking him to school on his first day. Holding him when he was sad, making him laugh to cheer him up...Nate would have taught him the birds-and-the-bees, helped him through his first date…The dress she would have worn on his wedding day.

The tears were flowing at full blast now.

Shaun looked up to the ceiling for a moment, trying to find the courage and words before he spoke.

“I do not want to leave the world like this,” he looked down at his body. “Weak and waiting for death. I want to die in complete control, will you help me?”

He couldn’t possibly mean what she thought he did…Of all the things, she couldn’t do that…

But he had made her promise.

“Shaun…after your father…I can’t kill you.”

“I’m not asking you to kill me.” Another strained cough, it wouldn’t be long now. “You’re saving me from pain.”

She felt like she had been considering it for hours, time itself stood still as she thought of the ramifications of doing such a thing. Could she really do this? The woman who hadn’t picked up a gun until she stepped foot in the Commonwealth. Could she really end her son’s life? She loved him, with her whole heart, if this was what he wanted, who was she to deny his last dying wish?

“Okay Shaun.” She finally said with a heavy heart. “For you.”

She took the gun off his nightstand, sobbing loudly as she held it to his head.

“It’ll be quick. You won’t feel a thing, I promise.”

The promise was empty, even if he did die within seconds she was pretty sure he’d feel the bullet pierce his skull before death took over.

“Goodbye Shaun.” She would remember cocking the gun for the rest of her life. “I love you.”

“I love you too Mother…and thank you.”

They shared a weak, loving smile and then she pulled the trigger.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“We’ll bury him as soon as possible.” Allie laid an affectionate hand on her shoulder.

No one seemed upset with her, even with her son’s blood spilling on to the floor. She couldn’t take her eyes away from it, still in complete shock at what she had done. They knew how she felt about him, how much she loved him and she didn't need to explain herself to them, they knew what she'd done and that she had done it at his request.

“No!” it was the first word she’d said since the new Director shuffled into the room. “You may be the Director now, but he’s still my son.”

It took all the strength of her being to get up from the chair.

“You will send him, and _only him_ , to the Commonwealth. You will relay him directly into Vault 111, do I make myself clear?”

Her last request.

She walked slowly throughout the Vault, the two canisters in her hands trailed gasoline along the floor. She eyed the walls, looked over every inch of the Vault as she moved. Her heart sunk even lower when her eyes fell upon the lifeless body of her son. He was on the floor between her empty pod and the one that held her dead husband.

Shaun was right, they never belonged here. They were the last of their kind, there was no place for them in this world.

She poured gasoline over Shaun’s body and herself before opening up Nate’s pod and throwing the last few drops over him too.

She stepped backwards into her own pod, holding the lighter in her hand.

“I love you.” She cried to Nate’s body before flicking the lighter to life, closing her eyes and letting it fall to the ground.


End file.
